Because You Weren't Here
by daughterofrisingsun
Summary: AU: What if Vegeta had left Earth before Frieza's arrival and never returned? How could events have changed? One-Shot!


Something a little different than my usual material….One-shot! Please be kind folks!

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters, Akira Toriyama does!

Cover art is by punkisteffi DeviantArt

...

"AGAIN? Vegeta, that's the FOURTH TIME you've destroyed the Gravity Room _this month!_"

"_THEN_ _GET IT FIXED FOR THE FOURTH TIME!_ " the Saiyan prince barked.

"Maybe if you spent less time pining for a call from that scar-faced weakling of yours, _you'd have the time to build something with_ some _durability!"_

"My personal life is NONE of your business, Vegeta!" the young blue-haired scientist shouted.

"_Thank Kami for that_!" Vegeta muttered under his breath.

"OOOHHH! How do I put up with you?" Bulma screeched.

"How do I avoid massive hearing loss from your Banshee wails?" the flame-haired warrior shot back.

"What the Hell was I thinking when I invited you to stay here?" the genius of Capsule Corps seethed.

"WHAT WAS** I** THINKING WHEN I CAME BACK TO THIS MISERABLE MUDBALL?" Vegeta bellowed.

The woman pretended not to hear him but he knew she had.

"_I'm going to leave this planet and NEVER return!" _the Prince of All Saiyans proclaimed…

…..

Vegeta woke up with a start. There was someone in his room….

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" the once heir to the throne of Vegeta-sei demanded.

An ancient looking Namekian wearing a white robe with a red insignia and a long blue cloak stood regarding him thoughtfully.

"I am Kami, Guardian of the Earth" the stranger declared.

"If you'd been guarding Namek maybe not so many Nameks would have been killed!" Vegeta remarked cruelly.

Kami bristled at the callous statement but didn't give a verbal response. He kept his mind on the matter at hand.

"I've come here to show you what would have happened if you never came back to Earth."

"What kind of fool do you take me for…" the Saiyan prince began…

…

Vegeta and Kami walked out of the mists swirling about them. They were back at Capsule Corps but somehow it felt different….

He caught sight of the Earth woman lying on the living-room sofa. Vegeta said not a word but his eyes widened at the difference in the azure-haired heiress's appearance.

She was very thin now. Far from a healthy weight as far as Vegeta could surmise. The yellow tank and white shorts she wore seemed to hang from her bony frame. Her once lumininous blue eyes were red and puffy with dark rings showing prominently against her pale skin that seemed far paler than it had ever been to the prince's knowledge. The famous brilliant aquamarine tresses were now a lackluster shade. Tears streamed from her eyes and rolled down her hollow cheeks.

Bulma held a huge picture frame in her hands. It contained a photo of her in a long white dress. The 'weakling' was standing just behind her. They both were smiling and she held a great bouquet of flowers in her hands. A large stone glittered from a ring on her left hand.

Suddenly the device Vegeta had learned was called a phone rang once…The one known as Yamcha's voice began to speak.

"Hey, Babe! It's me! Look practice is gonna take way longer than I planned….I know it's our anniversary and all…but you understand right? Make it up to you later!….Gotta go!"

The sound of a woman's laughter had been quite audible in the background of Yamcha's conversation. Bulma burst into a fresh torrent of tears and she threw the picture frame against the far wall. Shards of glass flew about the room as Bulma buried her face in the arm of the sofa. Her frail shoulders shook with sobs.

"You see? Without your presence here…_Bulma married Yamcha!"_ Kami informed Vegeta.

"Hmph! The _woman _made her decision. I warned her about that weakling! SHE DIDN'T LISTEN! That wasn't MY fault!" Vegeta snapped coldly.

Kami sighed. "Of course not. Well there's more to see….

….

Vegeta and the Guardian of Earth stepped out of the mists once more. This time they had arrived at Mount Paozu…..

"K-Kakarot?" the Saiyan royal choked out in disbelief.

The once rival to the Saiyan prince sat out on his front porch. A sizable belly pooched out from his waist and drooped almost to his knees. What was once powerful muscle now wobbled on his left arm as he scratched his head. Kakarot's once sharp features were lost in his pudgy face. His double chin shook as he moved.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO KAKAROT?" Vegeta snarled.

Kami took a deep breath before answering.

"Ah, yes. When everyone returned from Namek they went their separate ways. Raising families, living their lives…

"Gohan became a great scholar with no time for training. Chi-Chi strictly forbade him from doing so. As a result, Goku or 'Kakarot' as you prefer had no one near his strength to train with. Eventually he grew weary of training alone and with his enormous appetite….. here we have the result. "

"HIS doing NOT mine!" Vegeta snorted stubbornly as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Yes, indeed!" Kami said as he slowly shook his head. "There is more yet to see…."

….

Vegeta stepped out of the mists once more with the aged Namekian…..

They were in a dimly lighted room Vegeta had never seen before.

The sound of weeping reached the ears of the prince again but it wasn't Bulma. It was the woman known as Bunny Briefs. She had catered to his every whim since his arrival on Earth without a single complaint. Her husband, the man known as Dr. Briefs stood beside her. Tears poured down the face of the president of Capsule Corps.

Vegeta sucked in his breath as he took in the sight of the cause of their grief. His throat went dry….

In a white coffin lay the still form of their only child… Bulma Briefs!

Kami watched as the muscles worked in the Saiyan's face. Obviously _this _scene affected the stubborn prince. And affect him it did though Vegeta would die before he'd _ever_ admit it.

"_W-What__ h-happened to Bulma?" _Vegeta asked in almost a whisper.

The Guardian raised an eyebrow at the prince's response. He hadn't referred to her as 'the woman' he had actually called her Bulma. Kami smiled inwardly maybe there was hope for Vegeta yet.

"She felt she had nothing to live for. I understand she died of a broken heart" Kami said softly.

Something felt tight in the Saiyan's chest.

"Is-is this all to be seen now?" the Saiyan warrior croaked out.

"No, there's one more thing….."

….

Kami and Vegeta floated out in space. Legions of stars glittered around them.

"Behold the planet Earth!" the ancient Namekian declared.

Vegeta looked then rubbed his eyes and looked again. He recognized the now familiar constellations of the planet Earth's sky but….

"THE EARTH ISN'T HERE!" the bewildered Saiyan stated.

"Precisely. I am only permitted to tell you _some _of the details. You would have been quite instrumental in preventing Frieza from destroying this world… _but you weren't here!"_

"_Must these events come to pass?" _Vegeta asked.

"That is entirely up to you" Kami said shrugging his shoulders…

…

Vegeta devoured yet another plate of roast beef and all the trimmings. Bunny Briefs happily kept the servings coming.

Bulma burst into the kitchen. Vegeta shoved another forkful into his mouth to prevent himself from breaking into a smile. She looked just as she had before Kami showed him all those disturbing events that could possibly occur.

"Well! I see you're STILL here! I THOUGHT you were leaving!" Bulma huffed.

"I changed my mind" the flame-haired Saiyan said airily. "Did you finish the repairs on the Gravity Room yet? You had more than ample time."

"WHAT? YOU HAVE SOME NERVE MISTER! Do you think I have _NOTHING _to do but be at your beck and call?" the blue-haired beauty practically screamed.

"You have nothing of any importance to do otherwise" Vegeta said with a smirk.

"YOU ARE JUST UNBELIEVABLE! DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

Bulma continued to rant and Vegeta enjoyed every moment of it. He wouldn't change a thing…..

…

So what did you think? Please let me know!

daughterofrisingsun


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